MIDDLE-EAST MEZZE

Poems

by David Radavich

 

 

              Published by:       Plain View Press, P.O. Box 42255 , Austin , TX 78704 ; (512) 440-7319; www.plainviewpress.net/

              Available from:   Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and other book outlets; now available on Kindle. 

 

This exciting new collection of poems explores the fascinating cultures of Iraq, Palestine, and Egypt. Based on family connections and travel to the region, these lyric yet sometimes searing verses offer a mezze, or smorgasbord, of experiences in the Near East—from the enchantments of myth and legend to the all-too-real hardships of war and occupation. The poems in Middle-East Mezze move through suffering and pain toward tentative healing and reconciliation.

 

About the Author:

David Radavich's poetry is adventurous and wide-ranging. He is the author of Slain Species (Court Poetry, London), By the Way: Poems over the Years (Buttonwood, 1998), and Greatest Hits (Pudding House, 2000). His plays have been performed across the U.S., including six Off-Off-Broadway productions, and in Europe. America Bound: An Epic for Our Time (Plain View, 2007) narrates U.S. history from World War II to the present from the perspective of everyday Americans, while Canonicals (Finishing Line, 2009) investigates “love’s hours.””

 

Radavich has published academic and informal essays on poetry and drama and has read his work in a variety of locations, including Canada, England, Egypt, Germany, Greece, and Iceland. He currently is president of The Thomas Wolfe Society, co-vice president of the Charlotte Writers Club, and poetry editor of Deus Loci. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Comment by Jean Grant:

"Reading David Radavich’s poems transported me to the Orient, to its 'dry and teeming sands' and feasts of 'dates and skewered meats.' He dedicates Middle-East Mezze to 'those who suffered and who dream' and does not shy away from the woe of the region. He captures the dignity and suffering of the Palestinian and Iraqi peoples. . . . Radavich’s poems drew me in with their easy-going, conversational tone. In this collection, every poem is alive with energy and drama.” -- Jean Grant, author of The Burning Veil: A Novel of Arabia

Comment by Mike Maggio:

"Middle-East Mezze is a sumptuous buffet of lyricism and imagery. Radavich takes us to Iraq, Palestine and Egypt and, during our journey, forces us to question how such rich ancient cultures could have fallen into such desperation. A poignant reminder of splendid heritage, these poems foreground the tragedy of war and injustice while at the same time delighting us with the wonderfully ornate complexities that make up the Middle East." -- Mike Maggio, author of deMOCKracy

Comment by Christian Knoeller:

“Middle-East Mezze is a book of rare vision and ambition, given its sweeping geographical and historical scope. These poignant poems are finely honed, distilled to the essential. The progression of individual pieces, each complete in itself, seems inevitable, reflecting a keen sensitivity shaping the book as a whole. This collection positively bristles with arresting and unforgettable images, whether evoking the swirl of a bazaar in Egypt, descending ancient catacombs, or making the desolation of an arid landscape palpable. Ultimately, the work offers an unflinching act of witness--of conscience--breaking the silence about the tragic human toll of modern military conflict.” -- Christian Knoeller, author of Completing the Circle

 

Excerpt from Review by John Crane:

 

            “David Radavich's aptly named Middle-East Mezze contains a variety of poems: some evoke striking images and the impressions of a traveller; others provide meatier messages about war, in raw, uncompromising language. Sometimes, it takes a poet to show us the truth.
          Poems in the first section of the book, ‘Open Sesame,’ and the fourth, ‘Egypt,’ ‘Transport us now / to the Orient,/ where everything/ is dry and teeming with life.’ Radavich creates enlightening metaphors from the smell of a lemon, the sight of an hibiscus. Although the poems were obviously written over a period of years, the poem, ‘Bitter Lemons,’ could have been written this month, during the protests in Egypt.
          Poems in ‘Palestine,’ the third section of the book, express feelings about some particularly painful events in the land occupied by Israel's soldiers and its paramilitary, colonizing ‘settlers’: the massacre of worshipers at a Hebron mosque (‘each head bowed forward/ forever’); the killing of a girl's family at an outing on the beach (‘I didn't know her suffering./I've only seen pictures’); the assault on Gaza.

          The second section of the book, ‘Iraq,’ opens with the poem, ‘Curious War,’ about a war ‘with advertisements,’ a war in which ‘People smile as they are killing.’ The poem, ‘Forgetting,’ reminds me of General Colin Powell's response to a question about civilian casualties (‘It's really not a number I'm terribly interested in,’ he said).
          In simple, spare language, Radavich distills the essence of a thought. For example, with a single phrase, in ‘Casualties,’ he is able to provoke a guttural revulsion against war and its result: ‘tearing out/ hair/ of the angels.’
          In ‘On the Pillage of the Iraqi National Museum,’ Radavich declares, ‘God bless the archivist,/ the librarian who preserves/ what we have forgotten.’ God bless the poet, who hungers and thirsts after truth, and shows us what we never quite digested.”

 

 

Review by Ohioana:

 

            “I found these poems worth reading, more than once. They are thinking poems, designed to make the reader also think. I like their sparseness, the way each poem flows, and I like the word choices. ‘Curious War’ was one of my favorite poems in this collection. If you're considering buying this book, you can find ‘Curious War’ online and read it: it's representative of the volume. Another strong poem that I liked was ‘Juxtapositions.’ There is even, in such a serious volume, humor, as in ‘Judith and Me,’ which made me smile. Reading these poems has been a positive experience, one I will repeat.” 

 

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